Driving-gear for bicycles.



N0. 652,6!2. Patented June 26, 1900.. J. HARRISON.

DRIVING GEAR FOR BIGYCLES.

(Application filed Dec. 24, 1898.) {No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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flu/ell Zmt No. 652,6]2. Patented June 26, I900.

v J. HARRISON.

DRIVING GEAR FUR BICY CLES. (Application filed Dec. 24, 16558. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheqt 2.

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Inwzzir m6 NORRIS PETERS c0 PHOTU-LIYHO. wAsmucnou, a. c

UNITED S ATES Fries,

JOHN HARRISON, OF PETERBOROUGI-I, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELLIPTIO CYCLE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

DRIVING-GEAR FOR BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,612, dated June 26, 1900.

Application filed December 24,1898. Serial No, 700,204. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN I-IARRisoN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Peterborough, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Driving-Gear of Bicycles, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain, No. 12,083, dated May 27, 1898,) of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to bicycles of the kind described in the specification of former Letters Patent No. 578,013.

In machines of the kind described in the former specification the pedal-bars were connected to cranks on a shaft which passed through the hub of the driving-wheel. This arrangement renders it necessary that the rider should sit well back over the said driving-wheel. The object of this invention is to place more weight upon the steering-wheel than heretofore, which is advantageous, especially for track-riding; and to this end it consists in connecting the pedal-bars to cranks on a shaft carried in front of the driving-wheel and in transmitting the motion of this shaft to the driving-wheel through the medium of a train of wheels. With the present construction the pendulous rods orlinks to which the rear ends of the pedal-bars are pivoted are suspended from the seat-stays instead of from a rearward extensionof the framing.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle having my improved driving-gear applied to it. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the same; and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the driving-gear, drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1.

a is the frame of the machine, and I) is the crank-axle, which is pivoted in the said frame in front of the rear or driving wheel 0 of the machine and has aflixed to it an elliptical gear-wheel d. The gear (1 is so placed upon the crank-axle that the cranks o o extend in the direction of the major diameter of the wheel.

By the term elliptical gear-wheel. used in this specification and in the claims is meant 5o awheel of the form commonly termed in mechanic's an elliptical gear-wheel, although I am aware that the shape of such a wheel is not a true ellipse.

e is the pinion upon the axle of the wheel 0, and f is an intermediate gear-wheel having two sets of teeth-viz., the teeth g, which engage with the pinion e, and the teeth h, with which the wheel cl engages, the said teeth h being arranged in the form of an elliptical gear-wheel, so as to remain in gear with the elliptical wheel d. As shown, the pinion e is represented as provided with roller-teeth, and the teeth h are also formed as roller-teeth. It is to be understood that ordinary teeth may be used, if desired.

11 c' are the pedal-bars, each of which at its front end carries a treadle j and at its rear end is connected to the lower end of a pendulous link 70, which at its upper end is pivoted upon a pin Z, carried by the back or seat stays on of the machine, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said pedal-bars are also connected to the crank-pins n, carried by the cranks 0 on the crank-axle Z). With this arrangement it will be understood that the weight of the rider is brought much nearer to the front of the machine than is the case when the crank-axle b is passed through the center of the drivingwheel, as described in the specification before referred to.

An advantage of this invention is that, if desired, the pedal-bars may be dispensed with and ordinary treadles placed upon the crank pins, so that the cranks are directly driven.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- In abicycle, the combination with the frame and a driving-wheel mounted therein, of the crank-shaft, an elliptical gear-wheel mounted thereon, cranks mounted on said crankshaft in line with the major diameter of said gearwheel, a circular gear-wheel on the driving wheel axle, an intermediate wheel provided with a circular series of teeth meshing with the gear-wheel on the driving wheel axle, and

a series of gear-teeth adapted to mesh with the said elliptical Wheel, horizontally-disp0sed pedal-bars,.each connected intermediate its ends to one of said cranks and a pedal on each of said bars forward of its connection with thecrank, anda link pivotally connected to l the rear end of each of said pedal-bars, said 

